Md. Purple Line marks 'topping out' of rail ops, maintenance facility

The Maryland Department of Transportation Maryland Transit Administration (MDOT MTA) celebrated the topping out of the Glenridge Operations and Maintenance Facility (OMF). At the celebration, the final construction beam was signed and placed into position atop the facility.

Engineering and professional services consultancy, WSP USA is part of the Purple Line Transit Partners, a joint venture that serves as program management consultant for the $5.6 billion, 16-mile public-private partnership (P3) light rail transit project (LRT). It is the second P3-funded transit project in the U.S.

The light rail line will run inside the Capital Beltway north of Washington, D.C., connecting Bethesda and New Carrollton with stops at 21 stations. The east-west light rail line will connect with four Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority stations, which include Maryland Area Regional Commuter (MARC) and Amtrak connections, as well as local bus service. Construction on the project started in 2017 and is targeted for completion in 2022.

The 170,000-square-foot OMF was designed to achieve Silver certification through the U.S. Green Building Council's Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED). The building is the largest of the two vertical components of the Purple Line program and will support maintenance of LRT vehicles and accommodate the Operations Control Center.

WSP’s multidiscipline team supported the MDOT MTA through the P3 solicitation process, and provided planning and engineering, environmental impact analysis, cost estimating and grant funding services. WSP is now performing contract management, design review, public outreach and construction management quality oversight for the ongoing project.